Cate Tiernan - A Chalice of Wind

"Brilliant," Racey said admiringly, writing it down. "And food?"

Just then my macrame purse started wriggling on the table. Racey glanced up. "Your purse is ringing," she said briefly while I dug for my phone.

Its small screen said unlisted numher. I clicked the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Hey, babe." Andres voice made my skin tingle, "I got your message. What's up? Do you think you can see me today?"

"Oh, yeah," I said with feeling. Smiling hugely, I leaned back in my chair and tried to ignore how Racey s face had assumed a look of careful neutrality. "I can see a lot of you. In fact, I'm giving a party tonight-Just you, me, and forty of my closest friends. Can you come?"

"At your house?" Andre sounded surprised-I'd never invited him over before,

"Yep," I gave him the address and directions on how to get there. Uptown isn't built on a grid-the streets follow the curve of the river, "Like, at nine? And- maybe you can stay and help after everyone else has gone," I was practically quivering with anticipation.

"Help with what?" Andre sounded wary,

I shrugged. "Anything that needs doing. After all, with my grandmother out of town, I’ll be on my own, I'll need all the help I can get,"

I could almost feel his interest quickening over the phone. "Your grandmothers out of town?" he asked, "Since when?"

"Since this morning. I didn't even know about it till I saw her packing. She'll be gone a couple days at least," For right now, I put away all my unease about when she was coming back, I would deal with it when the time came.

Andre was silent for a minute. "So you're saying that your grandmother is out of town, leaving you alone in the house "

"Uh-huh" I took a sip of my drink, careful not to make slurping noises into the phone,

'And you, being the good granddaughter who gets home on time because you promised, are immediately seizing this opportunity to raise hell,"

I considered, "Pretty much, yeah,"

"And, tell me if I'm getting your meaning correctly, little Clio," said Andre's dark, delicious voice, "but are you suggesting that I stay with you after everyone has left, to, um, help you with… something?"

I could hardly breathe. The minute the front door closed after the last person, I was going to rip his clothes off. "That's right," I managed to get out,

"Well, well, well," he said, his tone making my heart beat faster. "That sounds like a very good idea, I would love to stay later and help you-with anything you want,"

With great self-control I avoided whimpering. "Terrific," I said, trying to sound together. "Anytime after nine"

"Can I bring anything? Besides myself?"

"Urn, let's see," I thought quickly, glancing at Racey's list, "Can you bring some tequila? For the margaritas?"

"It will be my pleasure''

My eyes shut slowly and I swallowed, "Okay," I said, barely able to speak. "See you then," I clicked off my phone and took some deep breaths, as if recovering from running,

Racey was watching me shrewdly from across the table, "Don't tell me" she said, "Let me guess. He is, by some miracle, going to take you up on your offer.'

I regarded my best friend, "How come you don't like him?" There, it was out in the open,

Racey looked taken aback, "I never said I didn't like him. Its just ... you're moving awful fast. You don't really know him,"

"That's never stopped us before," I pointed out. Since we were fifteen, Racey and I had been wrapping the lesser sex around our pinkies. This was the first time she had encouraged me to put on the brakes, "What is it?"

Racey shifted her weight in her seat, looking uncomfortable, "I don't know," she admitted. "He's different somehow than all the others,"

"Yeah" I said. "Absolutely,"

Racey still looked hesitant, "I don't know what it is. He just makes me feel, cautious"

I looked at her speculatively. Did Racey have the hots for Andre? I didn't think so. I'd be able to pick up on it if she did. Well, they just didn't click for some reason. I wasn't going to worry about it,

"Okay" I said, switching into party mode. "Show me your list. We gotta hit the store."

“Damn it! Damn it! Where the hell are they?" Crash.

As a way to wake up, this was worse than an alarm clock but better than having a bucket of cold water dumped on my head. Next to me, Minou yawned and looked offended, I blinked groggily at my clock. Ten a.m. Another restless night had led me to sleep in.

But what was Axelle doing up so suspiciously early?

"They were right here? she shrieked from the living room.

I pulled on some gym shorts and cautiously made my way out to the main room, Axelle had torn the place apart-sofa cushions on the floor, a table overturned, the basket of kindling by the fireplace knocked over. Newspapers, magazines, and clothes were strewn everywhere.

In short, the place was even more of a wreck than usual, and guess who was the only person who would care enough to clean it up?

Still shouting, Axelle picked up my French-English dictionary and heaved it across the room. It smacked the opposite wall with force, which showed me that the door to the secret room was wide open, as if the search had started up there and spilled over into the secular area of the apartment,

"Hey!" I cried, hurrying over to get the book. "That's mine!"

Axelle looked up at me, wild-eyed. I'd never seen her so wiggy — usually she moved at a slinky, feline saunter, summoning energy only to decide what shoes went with which purse. But now she looked like shed been up for hours, and even her characteristic silky, shiny black bob was totally mussed,

"What's wrong?" I asked. "What are you looking for?"

"My cups!" she shrieked, grabbing handfuls of her hair, as if to keep a tenuous grip on her sanity, "Family heirlooms!"

I looked around, trying to remember whether I'd seen anything like that, "Were they silver, or crystal, or what?"

"They were wood? Axelle cried, distraught, "Carved cypress! They're invaluable! I mean, for personal reasons! This is a disaster?

"Wooden cups?" I felt a sense of dread come over me, "How many?" I already knew.

"Four!" Axelle cried, looking near tears, "Four wooden cups!" Then she seemed to catch something in my voice and looked up, her black eyes locking on me like lasers. "Why? Have you seen them? Four wooden cups:

"Uh- "I froze like a frightened rabbit.

Axelle's eyes narrowed, and then she rushed past me into my room. I saw my pillow fly out into the hall, heard her sweep all my stuff off my desk Minou raced out of my room and disappeared, I clenched my hands at my sides, and then Axelle tore into my small bathroom.

Her howl was a mixture of relief, rage, and triumph.

Head bowed, dreading the inevitable, I shuffled toward the bathroom, Axelle was holding her carved wooden cups-the cups that had seemed so old and battered I was sure no one would miss them from the living room armoire. Her face glowed with intense emotion as she stared at the one that held cotton swabs, the one that held cotton balls…,

When she spoke, her voice was low and trembling, "These four cups are the most valuable things you'll ever see in your whole life. If you had ruined them-"

There was nothing I could say, I hadn't known. If they were so valuable, why weren't they upstairs in the locked room? I mean, they weren't much to look at- just four old wooden cups.

With great effort, Axelle seemed to get herself under control, "From now on, ask if you borrow anything of mine.

This was much more reasonable than she usually was, and I nodded, embarrassed. She swept out of the bathroom, having dumped the cups' contents onto the floor, and then I heard her heading upstairs,